Lighting-fixture.



E. M. SMITH.

LIGHTING FIXTURE.

APPLICATION mu) JAN. I9, 1911.

1,249,841. Patented Dec. 11,1917.

Witnesses,- w Inventor I 7774/ ,7 I 971d) d 9) Q) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IBIOND E. SMITH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, OF ONE-HALF T LEOIPOLD PLAUT AND ONE-HALF TO HERMAN PLAUT, BOTH OF NEW YORK, N. Y. i

LIGHTING-FIXTURE.

, Specification of Letters Patent. Patented 139.0. 11, 1917.

Application filed January 19, 1917. Serial No. 143,275.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Esnoun M. SMrril, a

and more particularly to fixtures for use in indirect and semi-indirect illumination and especially in combii'ied direct and indirect illumination.

Ill-systems of indirect lighting in which all or a part of the lightis thrown on the ceiling, whence it is reflected to the space below the ceiling, certain of the light rays illuminate portions with a greater inten sity than other parts of the ceiling are illuminated and halations are produced. Such halations are objectionable for the-reason that the light is unevenly distributed on the ceiling, and the light reflected therefrom is also unevenly distributed.

The object of my invention is to eliminate halation and shadows and so distribute the illumination over the directly lighted sur face that the light reflected therefrom will be uniform.

A further object is to provide for the easy application or removal of the globe for inclosing a lamp.

A still further object is to provide means for ventilating the fixture and conceal such ventilating means from sight.

These and further objects will more fully appear in the following specification and accompanying drawings considered together or separately.

I have illustrated an embodiment of my invention in the accompanying drawings in which like parts in all of the figures are (.lesignaled by similar reference characters, and in which,

Figure l is a sectional view of a fixture embodying-my invention and taken on the line 1-'-1 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the salmtaken on the line A -2 of Fig. l with parts broken away.

In carrying out my invention 1 provide a casing or canopy l, which comprises a. top plate 2 by means of which the canopy may be secured to the ceiling I). The canopy is usually secured to a junction box l which is emhr-(hled 'in theceiline'. The canopy is more or less ornamental in character and may be of any desired configuration as to size and shape.

The bottom face of the canopy forms an artificial ceiling 5 which is situated above the plane of the bottom line of the canopy and is joined to the canopy by a \w-irti eal, cylindrical "wall The surfaces 5 and 6 are preferably of reflective diffusive character. The wall 6 is pierced at intervals to provide ventilating openings 7 communicating with the interior of the canopy. A ledge 8 on the bottom of the canopy projects inwardly beyond the vertical wall 6 and shields the openings 7 from view ironi below.

The center of the artificial ceiling 5 is provided with an og'lening 9 through which the stem of a lighting element ll) in'ojects, and directly above the opening 5) a socket 11 is secured to the junction box -'l.- The stem oi the lighting element isscrewed into the socket:- in the usual manner. That poilion 1). oil the artificial ceiling which inimediatcly surrounds the. lamp stem is prel'erably but not necessarily conical in fori'n.

Surrounding the op'euin S) is an annular recess 12-; which extendsabom the plane of the artilieial ceiling. forming the artificial ceiling to one side of the rticess 12. is a semi-circular link 14 provided on its concave edge with teeth or projections l5. livotcd at '15 to the free end of the link H is a second link 16 also provided on its com-ave edge with teeth or projections l8 and attached to the free end of the link 17 is a. lever l!) which projects outwardly through a slot 20 in the wall of the canopy and is provided with a handle. The outer wall ol the recess 11 is provided with openings 31 through which the teeth 15 and 18 project when the links it and 17 are in their normal positions, as shown in full lines in Fig. l. A spring 2-2 alushorcd to the plate. 5 sitiou shown in full lines in- Fig. 2.

In connection with the device above described I employ a. shade 23, which surlivoted to the plate normally holds the linksin the porounds the lighting element 10. The shade the tension of the spring. This .willswing the links 14; and 17 to the positions shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The neck 25 of;

the globe is now inserted in the recess 13 and when the lever is released the spring 22 will return the links to the normal positions, the projections 15 and 18 will cnter the re cess and engage beneath the bead '26 and support the globe. To remove the shade the lever is swung to the dotted line position and i the shade may be withdrawn from the recess.

The shade is composed, preferably of a single piece of glass blown or molded to shape. used the bowl is rendered opaque by applying a coating of silver to the outside thereof. This will render the interior of the bowl highly reflective. The inner sur face in the bowl may be and preferably is rendered diffusive in any desired manner. The inner surface may be broken up and made diffusive by corrugating it or by means of sand-blasting or by acid etching.

If it is desired to use semi-indirect lighting the bowl is rendered translucent in any well known manner and the interior surface made diffusive as before.

In all cases the neck is not treated but remains transparent or crystal to permit free passage of the light reflected and diffused by the interior of t-hebowl.

The lighting element 10 is so proportioned and situated relatively to the artificial ceiling 5" and the vertical wall-6 that all of the light passing through the transparent neck will be directed to the artificial ceiling and vertical wall and be reflected therefrom, The outermost rays of the' circle of light emanating from the bowl through the transparent neck 25 will fall upon the vertical wall 6 and .will be reflected therefrom to the horizontal portion 5 of the artificial ceiling.

I have discovered that when an obstruction is placed in a beam of light the unobstructed light immediately surrounding the obstruction is or appears to be of greater intensity than the light farther removed from the obstruction. This produces a halo or corona immediately surrounding the. obstruction which gradually diminishes in brightness as the distance from the obstruction increases.

By my p'esent invention the halation produced by the outer edge of the circular beam of light which escapes over the upper edge of the opaque or translucent bowl 24 is cast upon the vertical. wall 6 and will be diffused and reflected tothc surface 5 where it will be further diffused and agaiiyrcflectcd.

. The halation being on a vertical surface will,

h an

not be visible from below and the ledge 8 will conceal it when viewed from one side.

The socket 11. is secured in the junction box 4 by means of a hiekey 26. The hickey is composed of a head 27 for attaclnnent to the stem of the box. an attenuated neck and a. foot or base 29 to which the socket is \Vhen indirect illumination is to be bolted or otherwise secured and which is provided with openings 30 through which the leading in wi'rcs extend. The h'iokey is made of malleable material and the neck is capable of being-bent in any direction so that the lamp may be made to hang perpendicular to the 'ceiling.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent. statutes I have described the principle of my invention, together with the apparatus'which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown merely lllllSlTIill'lVtt, and that the invention may be carried out in other ways. I

Having thus described my invention what I now claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A lighting fixture, having a support, a lighting element, a shade, said shade having a transparent portionand a non-transparent portion, said support having a reflecting surface to receive li ht passing above the nontransparent portion of the shade, that portion of the light passing over adjacent to the edge of the non-transparent portion being reflected from a portion of the surface perpendicular to the rest of the surface whereby none of such rays will be reflected outside of the apparatus.

A lighting fixture, having a lighting" element, a hollow canopy, a shade inelosing' a. reflecting surface in proximity to the transparent portion of the shade. said reflecting surface having :1 depending edge,

and an inturned ledge extending from the depending portion, said ledge concealing the surface. of the depending portion.

4. A lighting fixture, having a lighting element. a hollow canopy above the element, a shade int-losing the element, said shade having a transparent portion and a non- (ransparent portion, and carried by the canopy, said canopy having a horizontal re-- fleeting surface in proximity to the transparent portion of the shade, said reflecting surface having a depending vertical rim, tlici' e being ventilating openings in the rim, and an 'inlurnc-d ledge on the rim for concealing the openings.

5. A lighting fixture, having a. lighting element, a canopy, a shade iii'closing the element, said shade having a transparent portion and a non-transparent portion, and carried by the canopy, said canopy having areflecting surface in proximity to the transparent portion of the shade, said, refleeting surface extending into the transparent portion of the shade, said reflecting sur face having a vertical, depending edge.

6. A lighting fixture, having av lighting element, a shade inclosing the element, said shade having a non-transparent portion, and a triiinsparcnt portion, there being an opening in the transparent portion for the passage of the element, said fixture having a reflecting surface opposed to the transparent portion, said reflecting surface extending into the opening.

7. A lighting fixture, having a support, a lighting element, a shade inclosing the element, and means relatively separable and pivoted to the support for embracing and supporting the shade whereby the supporting means may be separated and cansedjo release the shade so that it may be bodily removed from the support.

8. A lighting fixture, having a support, and a lighting element, a shade inclosing the element, said shade havin an open ended neck, a head. on the neck, there being an an nular recess in the support for the reception of the neck, a bent link pivoted to the sup port, a second bent link pivoted to the first link, said links being located outside of the recess, there being openings in a Wall of the recess to permit the engagement of the links with the neck, and means for releasing the links from the neck.

9. A lighting fixture, having a support, a hickey removably secured to the support,

and a lamp carried by the hickey, said hickey having a head and a foot, therebeing a restricted neck between its extremities ca pable of being distorted in any directiol'i.

This specification signed and witnessed this twelfth day of January, 1917.

ESMOND M. SMITH,

Witnesses:

A. E. RnnToN, JAS. F, COLEMAN. 

